When Major League Baseball first expanded the playoff field to 12 teams ahead of the 2022 season, there were a handful of concerns raised by those who opposed the move. One was that the larger field would devalue the regular season. Another was that more teams could lead to watered-down matchups in October.

Three years in, it’s hard to see the expanded playoffs as anything less than a huge success.

Since the new format debuted, MLB has consistently delivered thrilling playoff chases and must-watch early-round matchups, with the best-of-three Wild Card round capturing the drama of the old one-game play-in while maintaining the tension of a longer series.

Those matchups have tended to end quickly, but this year we saw the format live up to its full potential with the unforgettable Mets vs. Brewers classic, capped off by Pete Alonso’s stunning go-ahead home run that will live on in Mets lore forever.

They have also produced some incredible Divisional matchups. Dodgers vs. Padres? Mets vs. Phillies? Every night has been must-see TV, and from the beginning it’s been banger after banger.

This year may also continue a trend that has put to bed the notion that the extra Wild Card team is inherently inferior. By brushing aside their NL East nemesis, the Mets have a chance to make it three straight years the World Series will feature a team that would not have made the playoffs under the prior format, joining the ’22 Phillies and ’23 Diamondbacks.

Unlike in the NFL and NBA, where the lowest seeded teams rarely make deep postseason runs, MLB seems to have hit the sweet spot where every team that makes the field has a legitimate chance of going all the way.

Even with a larger field, MLB’s playoffs are still the most difficult to make out of America’s four major professional leagues. In the NBA and NHL, 50% of teams (16 of 32) make the playoffs, and in the NFL it’s 43.7% (14 of 32). MLB is still at only 40% (12 of 30), and that percentage could potentially drop if the league follows through on its stated goal of adding new expansion teams.

Hopefully baseball’s decision-makers will recognize a good thing when they see it and resist the urge to push for 14 teams, which they initially proposed in the last round of labor negotiations.

Ultimately the playoffs exist to crown a champion, and from here on out things will look more or less the way they have for the last 50 or so years. Four teams remain, two will win the pennant and one will stand tall as World Series champion. Each series will be best-of-seven, and anyone who follows the sport knows what kind of emotional roller coaster these games can be.

This has always been baseball at its best, but now the road to reach this point has gotten much more interesting and exciting as well.

Tropicana Field faces long rebuild

Earlier this year the Tampa Bay Rays finalized plans to build a new ballpark in downtown St. Petersburg to replace their old, aging facility. Construction is planned to begin in 2025 and the hope is the new park will be ready by Opening Day 2028.

Unfortunately, the Rays now find themselves in the difficult position of having to put major work into their old park as well.

Earlier this week Tropicana Field’s roof was torn to shreds by Hurricane Milton, which devastated the Tampa Bay region and brought wind gusts of over 100 mph to St. Petersburg. No one was hurt as a result of the damage, but the Rays say it will take weeks to fully assess the stadium’s condition and determine the extent of the repairs.

Opened in 1990, Tropicana Field’s roof is made of six acres of a Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric that is designed to withstand winds of up to 115 mph. According to an article by The Athletic, the stadium’s roof has never been replaced since it was originally installed, making the fabric over 34 years old and well past its intended service life.

At the bare minimum, it will be months before the roof can be replaced.

In terms of analogous situations, the closest recent example is the old Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, which formerly hosted the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. The Metrodome had a similar roof as the Trop and collapsed in 2010 due to heavy snow. Those repairs took about seven months and $23 million to complete, and if the Rays’ replacement follows a similar timeline, it’s possible the stadium won’t be ready for Opening Day, which is scheduled for March 27.

Considering what Florida has gone through the past few weeks with back-to-back major hurricanes, the condition of Tropicana Field’s roof is ultimately a secondary concern. But for a club that already operates as one of the lowest revenue operations in the sport, having to work on two stadiums at once while possibly needing a third temporary home is a tough position to be in.

Sox release former top prospect

Earlier this week the Red Sox officially released Brainer Bonaci, a former prospect who was suspended all of 2024 after violating the minor league domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy.

A 22-year-old infielder, Bonaci enjoyed a standout season in 2023 in which he batted .297 with 11 home runs, 45 RBI and an .818 OPS in 79 games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. That performance vaulted him up the club’s prospect rankings, with SoxProspects.com having him as high as No. 11 in the Red Sox system.

Originally Bonaci was expected to take part in last year’s Arizona Fall League, but he was pulled after two games and placed on the restricted list before subsequently receiving a year-long ban. Now with that punishment served, the Red Sox have opted to cut ties with the Venezuelan and move on without him.

The exact circumstances that led to Bonaci’s suspension remain unknown.

White wraps up standout season

Rowley’s Thomas White, a former Phillips Andover great and one of the top prep prospects to come out of Massachusetts in a generation, has so far lived up to the hype through his first full season of professional baseball.

The 20-year-old left-hander recently wrapped up a standout season in which he posted a 2.81 ERA with 120 strikeouts over 96 innings and 21 starts. He was promoted midseason from Low-A to High-A, was named to the All-Star Futures Game and earned the Marlins’ minor league Pitcher of the Year and High-A MVP awards.

He now ranks as the Marlins’ No. 1 prospect, and he’s continued turning heads nationally as well, coming in at No. 36 on Baseball America’s latest Top 100 Prospect Rankings.

“Most young pitching prospects burn hot and cold, mixing dominating outings with very difficult ones,” Baseball America writes. “White has managed to avoid that, as he’s been consistently impressive start after start.”

White is one of numerous locals who enjoyed strong seasons in the minors.

Springfield’s Matt Shaw, who was also a first-round pick in 2023, has rocketed up through the Chicago Cubs system. The Worcester Academy and University of Maryland product reached Triple-A this year and ranks No. 43 on Baseball America’s Top 100.

Tampa Bay catching prospect and Methuen native Dominic Keegan now ranks No. 13 in the Rays organization, per MLB Pipeline. He batted .285 with nine home runs and 60 RBI in 104 games at Double-A this year.

Westborough’s Ian Seymour, a former St. John’s (Shrewsbury) great, also turned in a brilliant season with the Rays, posting a 2.35 ERA with 162 strikeouts over 145.1 innings and 27 starts. He earned a midseason promotion to Triple-A and now ranks as Tampa Bay’s No. 17 prospect.

Andover’s Sean Sullivan, formerly of Tabor Academy, dominated for the Rockies’ High-A and Double-A affiliates. He posted a 1.97 ERA in seven starts after being called up to the Hartford Yard Goats and ranks as Colorado’s No. 10 prospect.

Jacob Wallace, also of Methuen, earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A in the Kansas City organization after posting a 3.98 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 61 innings at Double-A.

North Attleboro’s Nick Sinacola was promoted to Double-A midseason by San Francisco and posted a 3.56 ERA in 25 outings on the year. Walpole’s Cam Schlittler got the call to Double-A by the Yankees and now ranks as the organization’s No. 25 prospect.